Israel forces crack down on demonstrators marking anniversary of Israel occupation

Palestinian demonstrators were marking the 53rd anniversary of the 'Naksa' (setback)

Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli forces during a protest marking the 53rd anniversary of Naksa or setback day, near the Jabara military check point in Tulkarm, West Bank, Palestine on June 5, 2020 [Issam Rimawi / Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian during a protest marking the anniversary of Naksa in the West Bank on 5 June 2020 [Issam Rimawi / Anadolu Agency]

Israeli occupation forces cracked down on Friday on Palestinian demonstrators marking the 53rd anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported.

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in demonstrations in the villages of Bal’in, Na’lin, Kafr Qaddoum, Hares and the Qusin neighbourhoods, Hebron and the Jordan Valley.

The protesters raised placards condemning the Israeli occupation and Israeli violations against the Palestinians and their rights.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Palestinian Red Crescent dealt with six cases of protesters wounded by the Israeli occupation during the protests.

Read: We will never give up our birthright, insist Palestinian refugees

In 1967, Israel launched a war against its neighbours and took control of the parts of Palestine which it had failed to capture during its 1948 “War of Independence.

On 5 June 1967, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. After knocking out the air defences of these countries, it occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Thus, it had taken control of the final 22 per cent of historic Palestine that it wasn’t able to occupy in 1948.

Nearly 400,000 Palestinians were added to the hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced in 1948 and their homes and villages were razed to the ground by the Israelis. Around half were being displaced for the second time in less than 20 years.

The Naksa commemorates this tragic setback in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination.

Read: Remembering the Naksa

Israeli forces at a Palestinian protest in the West Bank, Palestine on 5 June 2020 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Israeli forces at a Palestinian protest in the West Bank on 5 June 2020 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Israeli forces can be seen in the West Bank on 5 June 2020 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.